Front Mounted Ocp Storage Controller Module with Integrated Backup Power

Computing devices (e.g., servers) are sometimes provided with a short term backup power system, such as a battery, to provide short-term power to the device in the event that the main power source fails. This short term backup power system may be in addition to more long-term backup power solutions, such as backup generators designed to power an entire data center. The more long-term backup solutions may not be able to react quickly to a power loss, whereas the local power system may have the ability to react quickly. Thus, a short term backup power system may be included so as to avoid the loss of data which, at the time of the power outage, has not been stored in persistent storage (i.e., a storage medium which retains stored data even after power is removed, such as hard disk drives, flash drives, or other solid state drives), and which may be lost by the time the long-term, facility-wide backup system comes online. One example of data which may be susceptible to loss in the event of a power outage is data being processed by a storage controller prior to being committed to persistent storage media, such as data in the controller's cache. The short term backup system may be designed either to keep the system powered on until the longer-term backup system is ready or to merely keep the system on long enough for it to perform a graceful shutdown, which may including saving transient data to persistent media.

Generally, short term backup power systems are provided at the server level, meaning that the battery or other energy storage device is expected to provide backup power for multiple components of the server (and in some cases, the entire server) for a period of time. However, because they power many components, such server-level energy storage devices are often bulky, thus taking up a significant amount of space in the server. Servers are often very space constrained even without a backup energy storage device, and the addition of a server-level energy storage device exacerbates this. Given the space constraints and the size of the backup energy storage device, tradeoffs may need to be made, which often results in the backup energy storage device being relegated to thermally suboptimal (i.e., hot) positions in the server, such as a position which receives less airflow or which receives air that has been pre-heated by upstream components. For example, the backup energy storage device is often positioned in a middle region of the server adjacent an edge of the motherboard. However, energy storage devices are temperature sensitive; as a result, these hot positions in the server can negatively affect the energy storage device and its functionality.

To address the issues noted above, the present disclosure integrates an energy storage device with a storage controller into a pluggable module that is installed, or able to be installed, at the front of a server. This controller/backup module may be installed within a front bay of a set of front bays in a drive cage. The energy storage device is local to the storage controller, meaning that the energy storage device is managed by the storage controller and is responsible for supplying backup power to just the storage controller and not to other components in the server. In other words, each storage controller may have its own, individual, energy storage device, which is packaged together with the storage controller in the same removable module. In addition, each storage controller is able to manage and control its energy storage device independently of other components in the system.

Because the energy storage device only needs to provide backup power to its corresponding storage controller, the energy storage device can be made relatively small. As a result, both the energy storage device and the storage controller can fit within a relatively small module, such as a module having an OCP-NIC 3.0 form factor. Moreover, in some cases, a server-level battery backup can be made smaller because it no longer needs to provide power to the storage controller. This can reduce the cost of a server-level battery, as well as allow it to take up less valuable space in the system and/or allow it to be relocated to a more convenient location within the system. Alternatively, in some cases, the server-level backup power system may be omitted entirely, even further reducing costs and saving valuable space.

Furthermore, because the storage controller and energy storage device are packaged together in the same module, it can allow for easier and more cost-effective manufacture and/or upgrading of systems. Systems may vary in terms of which components, and how many of each, they include, which means that they may have different backup power needs. Thus, if using a server-level backup power approach, one might try to design different server-level backup power systems for each different system configuration. However, this can increase manufacturing costs and complexity, as well as proliferate SKUs. Alternatively, one might try to use a single backup power system for all configurations, but in that case, the system may need to be powerful enough to handle a worst-case scenario, resulting in the system being oversized (and thus inefficient in terms of cost and space) for other configurations. In contrast, the controller/backup modules disclosed herein can allow for a more modular approach in which backup energy storage capacity scales together with the demand for it. For example, as more storage controllers are added to a system, they automatically bring with them their own integrated backup energy. Thus, the amount of backup energy capacity which is provisioned always matches the need, avoiding wasteful overprovisioning.

Moreover, because the controller/backup module is configured to be installed in the front of the system, the position of the energy storage device may be superior to the positions in which energy storage devices are often disposed. In many systems, air flows through the system from front to back. As the air flows through the system, its temperature rises due to absorbing heat from the components it passes. Therefore, the temperature at the front of the server is usually lower than at the rear. Thus, a backup energy device arranged at the front of the server will receive cooler air and thus be cooled better than if it were included in the middle or the rear of the server (as is often the case for the backup energy devices). Moreover, because the backup energy device is integrated into the same module package as the storage controller, the backup energy device is not taking up valuable front bays of the server. A server generally comprises a limited number of front bays, which are usually reserved for pluggable modules which need to be accessible to the user. An energy storage device alone would therefore usually not be permitted to take up one of these valuable bays. However, in the case of the controller/backup modules disclosed herein, the backup energy device is integrated into the same module as the storage controller. Since the storage controller would occupy a front bay regardless, the addition of the backup energy device does not take up any more of the valuable front bays. Moreover, because the energy storage device is integrated into the storage controller and thus is located in a front bay, the energy storage device is made more easily accessible for needed maintenance or replacement of components.

is a block diagram showing an example of a server systemincluding a front mounted OCP storage controller moduleconsistent with the present disclosure. It should be understood thatis not intended to illustrate specific shapes, dimensions, or other structural details accurately or to scale, and that implementations of the server systemincluding a front mounted OCP storage controller modulemay have different numbers and arrangements of the illustrated components and may also include other parts that are not illustrated. In, physical connections (e.g., physical attachment and/or support) between components are indicated conceptually by solid lines extending between the components, whereas electrical connections between components are indicated conceptually by dashed lines extending between the components. Furthermore, connections which may be intermittent or conditional (e.g., occurring in some states but not in others) are indicated by arrows. The OCP storage controller moduleis illustrated inin the context of the server systemto aid understanding, but OCP storage controller modulecomprise the OCP storage controller modulealone and other examples comprise the server systemwith the OCP storage controller moduleinstalled therein.

Systemmay include a chassis, which may include a base pan, a front paneldisposed at an edge of the base pan, and a rear paneldisposed at an edge of the base panopposite the front panel. Front paneland rear panelmay be perpendicular to the base panand parallel to one another. Chassismay also include two side walls (not illustrated) which extend between the front and rear panelsandat two lateral edges of the base pan. The side walls may be perpendicular to the base panand the front and rear panelsand. The chassismay also include a cover/lid which is parallel to the base pan. The base pan, side walls, and cover may be formed, for example, from sheet metal. The front paneland rear panel, on the other hand, are not necessarily solid panels, but may rather include various apertures, such as airflow opens through which air may flow, connector opening in which connectors may be disposed, bays in which pluggable modules may be installed/removed, etc. The front and rear panelsandmay thus be formed from a variety of structures, such as brackets, drive cages, perforated or mesh panels, etc., which are connected to one another and to the rest of the chassisto collectively form a face of the system. In some examples, the front paneland the rear panelmay be integrally formed with the base panand extend upwardly from the base pan. In other examples, the front paneland the rear panelmay be formed separately and coupled to the base panby, for example, welding, adhesive, or any other suitable connection means.

A primary system boardmay be supported by the base pan. The primary system boardincludes a processorand may have additional components coupled thereto, which are familiar to those or ordinary skill in the art and thus are not described in detail herein. The primary system boardmay be a motherboard, aa host processor module (HPM) board, or any other suitable board.

The systemmay further include a front drive cage. As used herein, a drive cage refers to a box-like support structure with multiple front pluggable module bays, such as front drive bays-,-,-N (collectively drive bays) and front OCP bay(s)defined therein (collectively, front baysand). Drive cagemay form part of the chassisand may be part of the front panel. In other words, front panelmay form part of drive cage. The front baysandcomprise predefined volumes (spaces) within the drive cagewhich are sized and shaped to receive pluggable modules (e.g., storage drive or other module) having form factors compatible with the baysor, respectively. The front baysandalso comprise the structures which define the aforementioned volumes, which may include walls of the drive cageand engagement features of the drive cage.

Specifically, the front drive baysmay be configured to receive storage drives of a particular storage drive form factor, such as EDSFF, SFF, or other storage drive form factor. The drive cagemay include, for each drive bay, a set of engagement features, such as engagement features, shown inand described in greater detail below, which engage with a drive as the drive is inserted into the bay. The engagement features guide the drive into the correct installation position and physically support the drive when installed. Each drive bayis also provided with a corresponding electrical connector which is positioned in the bay such that, when the drive is inserted into the bay, the engagement features guide the drive into blind mating with the electrical connector of the bay. The electrical connector may be complementary to a connector of the type of drive which the bayis designed to receive. In some examples, some of the electrical connectors may be attached to a backplane, which comprises a printed circuit board assembly (PCA) which is electrically connected to a primary system board of the server such that the installed drives are electrically connected to the primary system boardvia the backplane.

The OCP baysis to receive an OCP module (a module having an OCP form factor), such as moduledescribed below. Similar to the drive bays, the OCP baysmay comprise engagement features and electrical connectors. However, in some examples, an OCP baymay be formed from one or more of the drive bays, in which case the engagement features of the OCP baymay be the same as the engagement feature of the drive bays, meaning that the engagement features are designed for use with a storage drive form factor, rather than with an OCP form factor. Thus, in such examples, to enable the OCP bayto receive an OCP module, a special adapter may be attached to the OCP module, forming an assembly which has features that are compatible with the engagement features of the OCP bay. Examples of such adapter are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/628,888, titled “ADAPTER FOR OCP MODULE”, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. Moreover, to enable electrical connection to an OCP module installed in the OCB bay, an OCP socket connectoris disposed at/in the OCP bay. The OCP socket connectoris designed to receive an OCP edge connector of an OCP module (such as OCP edge connectordescribed below). An OCP socket connector, as used herein, is a socket-type connector complying with an OCP specification and used for receiving an OCP edge-type connector, such as OCPC orC+ connectors, to connect OCP external components and devices. Only one OCP socket connectoris illustrated in, but any number of such OCP socket connectorsmay be included (e.g., one per OCP bay). The OCP bay OCP connectorsmay be electrically connected to the primary system board. In some examples, the electrical connectormay be part of a cable and may be attached to and supported by a support structure, which may also be referred to as a cable backplane but which may differ from other backplanes in that it may lack a PCB or internal circuitry. Thus, by using the adapter and providing the OCP connector, one or more drive bayof a drive cagecan be repurposed for use as an OCP bay. In other examples, the OCP baymay be natively designed for OCP modules, in which case the engagement features of the OCP baymay be configured to engage with engagement features of the OCP module, rather than with a storage drive. (In, the OCP bayis also labeled as a drive bay-to indicate that it may, in some examples, be formed from one or more drive bays, but this is not intended to be limiting).

Returning to, systemfurther includes an OCP storage controller module, which is a pluggable module that may be installed within a given front OCP bay. OCP storage controller moduleincludes a printed circuit board (PCB). An OCP edge connectormay be formed in one edge of the PCB. The OCP edge connectormay mate with the OCP socket connectorwhen OCP storage controller moduleis mounted within a front OCP bayof the drive cage. Thus, when OCP storage controller moduleis mounted within a front OCP bay, the OCP storage controller modulemay be electrically connected to the primary system boardvia the connection between the OCP edge connectorand the OCP socket connector. The OCP edge connectormay be, for example, an OCPC orC+ connector. The PCBmay have an OCP form factor, meaning its dimensions and other features comply with an OCP form factor specification, such as an OCP NIC 3.0 form factor. Moreover, lateral edges of the PCBmay form engagement features of the modulewhich are to engage with complementary engagement features of a native OCP bay when the moduleis inserted therein. In examples in which moduleis to be installed in an OCP bay which is not natively configured to receive OCP module, the lateral edges of the PCB may engage with an adapter to precisely position the modulerelative to the adapter, which in turn engages with the engagement feature of the bay.

PCBmay include storage controller circuitrymounted thereon and/or formed therein. As used herein, storage controller circuitry refers to circuitry designed to control a storage array, and may include an integrated circuit (e.g., microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), etc.) which is formed separately from the PCBand then mounted (e.g., soldered) thereto, circuitry formed internal to the PCB, and/or other discrete electrical components mounted to the PCB. In some examples, storage controller circuitry may include a processor and cache memory. When storage controller circuitry receives a request from a server system to write data, the storage controller circuitry determines where the data is to be allocate and stores the data, while when storage controller circuitry receives a request from a server system to read data, the storage controller circuitry locates, reads, and transfers the data. Storage controller circuitrymay perform operations including, but not limited to, the above operations for OCP storage controller module.

OCP storage controller modulemay further include an energy storage device. As described previously, an energy storage device refers to a source of backup power for a system component. In system, energy storage devicemay provide backup power for OCP storage controller module. Energy storage devicemay be comprised of a housingand a battery. The housingmay be physically coupled to PCBsuch that energy storage deviceis integrated with the OCP storage controller module.

A batterymay be received within housing. In some examples, batterymay be a lithium-ion cell battery, while in other examples, batterymay be a lithium-ion hybrid capacitor. Examples are not so limited, however, and other forms of battery may be used. In some examples, the batterymay be electrically connected to the storage controller circuitryto provide electrical power thereto.

The OCP storage controller modulealso comprises battery management logic, which controls the charging and discharging of the battery. In some examples, the battery management logicis part of the storage controller circuitry, meaning that storage controller circuitrymay control the energy storage device. In other examples, the battery management logicis part of a device separate from the storage controller circuitry(e.g., a separate integrated circuit) which is included in the module; for example, energy storage devicemay include a battery management system (BMS) integrated circuit which acts as the battery management logic. Because the battery management logiccan be provided in a variety of locations in module, it is illustrated in dashed lines in. In some examples, the energy storage devicemay be controlled independently of the primary system board. That is, OCP storage controller modulemay control its own local energy storage device(via battery management logic) and the energy storage devicemay provide backup power only to its associated OCP storage controller module. Note that controlling the energy storage device“independently” from the primary system board means the energy storage devicecan control charging and discharging itself and the primary system board does not directly perform these functions, but it does not necessarily imply that there is no interaction with or dependency on the primary system board. For example, the primary system boardmay provide the input power to the modulewhich is used to charge the energy storage device. Moreover, the primary system boardmay also communicate status information with the energy storage device, which the energy storage devicemay rely on for determining whether backup power is needed, for example. The primary system boardmay also perform authentication on the energy storage device.

Turning now to, an example OCP storage controller moduleand an example energy storage devicethereof will be described, together with an example of a server systemincluding the front mounted OCP storage controller moduleconsistent with the present disclosure. Systemmay be one implementation example of systemshown in and described with respect to, OCP storage controller modulemay be one implementation example of OCP storage controller moduleshown in and described with respect to, and energy storage devicemay be one implementation example of energy storage deviceshown in and described with respect to.shows the systemwith two of the OCP storage controller modules, with one in an installed state and one in an uninstalled state.show a drive cageof system(or a portion thereof) with the two OCP storage controller modulesin the installed state.show one of the OCP storage controller modulesin isolation.show the energy storage deviceof the OCP storage controller modulein isolation.

As shown in, systemmay include a chassiswhich includes a basepanfront panel. Chassismay also include side walls, a rear panel, and cover which are omitted from view. Coupled to, or formed as part of, the chassisis a front drive cage. The front drive cagemay form part of the front panel. The front panelmay also include other elements (not illustrated) which are adjacent to the drive cage, such as additional drive cages or other module bays, brackets, etc.

As shown in, drive cagemay include drive bays. In this example, drive cageincludes multiple drive bays, one of which is labeled in. Drive baysmay be dimensioned to receive module having a particular form factor or belonging to a particular family of form factor. For example, the drive cage, and thus drive bays, may be sized to receive Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) E3.S drives; however, examples are not so limited and the drive cageand drive baymay be designed to receive other types of drives. Some of the drive baysmay include electrical connectors (not visible) which are arranged to mate with complementary electrical connections of the drives when the drives are installed in the bays. The electrical connectors may be compatible with the form factor of drives the baysare configured to receive and may be mounted to a backplaneattached to the rear of the drive cagein alignment with a subset of the bays.

Each drive bayincludes engagement featuresto receive and hold a drive when inserted into the drive bay. As shown in, the engagement featuresmay comprise protrusions which protrude into the interior space of the drive cage, with the baysbeing defined in the space between two adjacent engagement feature(or between an engagement featureand a wall of the drive cage). A drive or adapter(described below) having the right form factor fits between two adjacent engagement featureswhen inserted into a bay, with the engagement featureengaging with engagement features of the drive or adapterto guide it into an installed position and support it in the installed position. As shown in, engagement featuresmay be tabs formed from portions of the top and bottom walls of the drive cagewhich have been cut and bent (e.g., stamped) so as to extend into drive bayto receive a corresponding feature on a drive. However, examples are not so limited and engagement featuresmay be extrusions or may be formed as a separate component and attached to the drive cageby, for example, welding or adhesive. Inmultiple engagement featuresare visible, but only two of the engagement featuresare labeled to avoid obscuring other aspects, namely engagement features-and-.

A drive bayof a drive cageis often sized such that either one drive bayreceives a single drive of the corresponding form factor or, in some cases, a drive takes up an integer multiple of bays. For example, as shown inand, a drive baymay receive a drive. Although only one driveis labeled in, multiple drivesmay be received in drive cage, with the limitation on the number of drivesbeing the number of drive bays. In addition, a bay fillermay be used to occupy drive baysof a drive cagethat are not being filled by a drive. When a new drive is ready to be added, bay fillermay be removed and the new drive may be installed.show vertically oriented drive baysand thus vertically oriented drivesand bay fillers(in this context, vertical means an orientation perpendicular to the base pan); however, examples are not so limited and other orientations of drive bays, and thus drivesand bay fillers, may be used, such as horizontally oriented drive bays.

In addition to the drive bays, the drive cagecomprises two OCP bays, as shown in. In this example, each OCP baysis formed from two adjacent drive bays, as shown in. This is because an OCP storage controller moduleis larger than the drivesand will not fit within a single bay. Thus, an OCP bayis dimensioned such that it occupies two drive bays. This is due to the dimensions of an OCP module, such as OCP storage controller module, using the OCP form factor. Furthermore, unlike the other drive bayswhich may have a storage device connector disposed therein (or no connector at all if not being used), the OCP baysmay each have an OCP socket connectordisposed therein, as shown in. The OCP socket connectoris one example of the OCP socket connectordescribed above. In this example, the OCP socket connectoris part of a cable assembly and is connected to a primary system board (not illustrated) via conductors of a cableattached to the connector. The connectorsare attached to an OCP backplaneso that the connectorsprotrude into the rear of OCP bays, as shown in. The OCP backplaneis attached to the rear side of the drive cage. Thus, when an OCP module such as OCP storage controller moduleis installed in one of the OCP bays, the OCP edge connector of the module may blind mate with the OCP socket connectorof the bay, thus electrically connecting the module to the primary system board via the cable.

In addition, as discussed above, the engagement features of the OCP module are not compatible with the engagement featureof the drive bays. For OCP modules (including module), the engagement features thereof are the lateral edges of the PCB of the module which are designed to fit within grooves in a rail of an OCP bay. However, the engagement featuresof the drive cageare spaced much farther apart from one another then the width of the PCB of the OCP module (so as to engage with a drive inserted therebetween), and thus the engagement featureswill not engage with or properly align the OPC module in the bay. As such, an adapterfor an OCP module may be installed on the OCP storage controller moduleto enable it to be installed in the bay. As shown in, adapteris installed on the OCP storage controller. Example adapters are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/628,888, titled “ADAPTER FOR OCP MODULE”, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

As shown in, adapterincludes two side railsthat extends along substantially the length of OCP storage controller module. The adapteralso comprises one or more crossmemberswhich connect the side railstogether. In the space between the side rails, an OCP module such as the OCP storage controllermay be disposed. As shown in, the adapterincludes first engagement featuresand second engagement features. The first engagement featurescomprise grooves or slots on in the side railswhich engage with the lateral edges of the PCB of the OPC module (e.g., PCB). This engagement supports the PCBrelative to the adapterand also aligns the PCBrelative to the adapter. The second engagement featuresengage with the engagement featuresfor the drive cagewhen the assembly of the moduleand adapteris installed in the drive cage. This engagement aligns adapter(and hence also the moduleattached thereto) relative to the drive cage, guides the adapter(and module) into an installed position, and supports the adapter(and hence module) relative to the drive cage.

As shown in, the second engagement featuresinclude a first engagement surface-disposed on one side of the side railand a second engagement surface-disposed opposite first engagement surface-(collectively, engagement surfaces). In some examples, engagement featuresmay comprise one or more protrusions (e.g., tabs, posts, flanges) that engage with the engagement featuresof the drive cage. However, examples are not so limited, and engagement featuresmay be recesses or another form of engagement featurethat is able to engage with engagement featuresof the drive cage. As shown in, engagement featuresmay be part of side rail; that is, engagement featuresmay be integrally formed with side rail. In other examples, engagement featuresmay be formed separately from side railand be attached thereto by, for example, adhesive, welding, or another suitable attachment mechanism. The adaptermay be attached to the OCP storage controller moduleby engaging edges of a PCB of the OCP storage controller modulewith one of engagement surfaces.

The engagement featuresmay be dimensioned and shaped to mimic the engagement features of the drive for which the drive cageis dimensioned to receive, such that engagement featuresare able to engage with engagement featuresof the drive cagein the same way that a drive such as drive(which is dimensioned to be received in the drive baywithout an adapter) engages. In some examples, engagement featuresof the adaptermay slidingly engage with the engagement featuresof the drive cage, although examples are not so limited. When OCP storage controller moduleis coupled to an adapterand inserted into drive cage, as shown in, the engagement featuresof the adapterand the engagement featuresof the drive cagealign and guide the OCP storage controller moduleinto proper installation position. As a result, when an OCP storage controlleris installed together with an adapter, it is received and able to sit in the drive cagejust as a driveor a bay fillerwould, as is shown in. It is to be noted that, while only one OCP storage controller moduleand associated components are labeled in, each OCP storage controller moduleincludes the same components.

As noted in, OCP storage controller moduletakes two drive bays, such that one OCP bayis made up of two drive bays. When the assembly comprising the modulewith the adapterattached thereto is installed in a given OCP bay, the adapterengages with the engagement featuresin one of the drive baysof the OCP bayand some portions of the OCP storage controller moduleextend into the second drive bayof the OCP drive bay.

The OCP storage controller moduleand the energy storage devicethereof will now be described in greater detail with reference to. Note that some components of the moduleare not visible inbecause they are blocked from view by an optional cover, but inthis optional cover is omitted.

The OCP storage controller modulecomprises a PCB(see), storage controller circuitrycomprising a storage controller integrated circuitmounted to the PCB(see), a heatsinkdisposed on the storage controller integrated circuitand attached to the PCB(see), a front plateattached to the PCB(see), an OCP edge connectorformed in a rear edge of the PCB(see), and an energy storage deviceattached to the PCB(see). These components will be described in greater detail in turn below.

For example, as shown in, OCP storage controller moduleincludes storage controller circuitry. Storage controller circuitrymay be an example implementation of storage controller circuitrydiscussed with respect to. In this example, storage controller circuitincludes a storage controller integrated circuitwhich is mounted (electrically connected and physically attached to) to the PCB. In some examples, commercially available storage controllers may be used as the storage controller integrated circuit. Storage controller integrated circuits are familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art and thus further details thereof are not described herein. The storage controller circuitmay also include additional components not illustrated herein, such as internal circuitry of the PCB(e.g., contact pads, conductive traces), discrete components mounted to the PCB(e.g., capacitors, transistors, etc.) or other components as would be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art.

A heat sinkmay be coupled to storage controller circuitry. Heat sinkreceives heat from the storage controller circuitryvia conduction and dissipates that heat into the surrounding air. As shown in, heat sinkmay include portions(e.g., fins) that extend upward away from the storage controller circuitry. These extended portions may increase the surface area of the heat sink, thus increasing the efficacy of the heat sinkin dissipating heat from the storage controller circuitry.

In addition, OCP storage controller moduleincludes an energy storage device. As discussed with respect to, and discussed further herein, energy storage deviceincludes a housingto receive one or more batteries. Energy storage devicefurther includes a mezzanine boardcoupled o the housingand battery connectorswhich electrically connect the batteriesto the mezzanine board, as shown in. The mezzanine boardis then electrically coupled to the PCBof the OCP storage controller modulevia a connectoron a bottom side of PCB, shown in, which mates with a connectorof the PCB, as shown in. The connectoris electrically connected to power supply circuitry of the PCBwhich supply power to the storage controller circuitry. This power supply circuitry of the PCBmay include, for example, conductive traces or planes in the PCBwhich carry a supply potential or a ground potential. This power supply circuitry of the PCBmay be connected to pins of the OCP connectorwhich receive power supplied from a primary system board. Thus, the mezzanine boardis electrical connected to the PCBvia connectorsand, and can either supply electrical power to the PCB(for powering the storage controller circuitry) or can draw electrical power from the PCB(for charging the batteries).

The energy storage devicealso includes battery management circuitrywhich controls the flow of electrical power between the PCBand the batteryor batteries(i.e., controls the charging and discharging of the batteries). The battery management circuitryis an example implementation of the battery management circuitrydescribed above. In this implementation, the battery management circuitryis part of the energy storage device, and more specifically includes a battery management integrated circuitwhich is mounted to the mezzanine board. The battery management integrated circuitrymay include, for example, a commercially available battery management system (BMS) integrated circuit. The battery management circuitrymay also include additional components (not illustrated) mounted to the mezzanine board, such as transistors, diodes, capacitors, switches, e-fuses, or other power components familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art for delivering power under the control of the battery management integrated circuit. The mezzanine boardincludes connection padsdisposed on mezzanine board, which are electrically connected (e.g., soldered) to the battery connectors, as shown in, which are in turn connected to batteriesas shown in. The connection padsare also electrically connected (or selectively connectable) to the connectorvia the battery management circuitry, thus completing the electrical circuit between the batteryand the PCBvia mezzanine board.

In some examples, the connection padsare selectively electrically connectable to the connectorvia the battery management circuitry, meaning that the battery management circuitrycan selectively open or close the electrical circuit between the batteryand the PCB. When the circuit is closed, power can flow from the batteryto the PCB(to power the storage controller circuitryduring a power outage) or from the PCBto the batteries(to charge the batteriesduring normal operation). When the circuit is open the batteriesare electrically isolated form the PCB.

In some examples, the power supply circuitry of the PCBmay include components to prevent back-feeding of power from the PCBto the primary system board, such as diodes or other power gating logic. In other words, in some examples, power may flow from the primary system board into the PCBand into the batteriesvia the OCP edge connector, but power is prevented from following the other direction from the batteriesand PCBinto the primary system board via the OCP edge connector. In this manner, the energy storage deviceis wholly local to the modulein that it provides backup power only the moduleand its charging and discharging are controlled by the module(i.e., by battery management circuitry).

An example of an OCP storage controller moduleis shown in, withshowing a perspective view andshowing a top view. OCP storage controller modulemay include a PCBto which various components, such as storage controller circuitryand an energy storage devicemay be coupled. PCBmay include an OCP edge connectorformed in one edge thereof. As shown in, OCP edge connectormay be disposed opposite a front plateof OCP storage controller module. Although not shown in, OCP edge connectorincludes electric connectors, which mates with an OCP socket connector, such as OCP cable connector, shown in.

OCP storage controller modulemay further include an electromagnetic interference (“EMI”) shieldformed as part of or coupled to the front plate. As used herein, an EMI shield refers to a component configured to contact an EMI shield (or other component with electromagnetic interference shielding capabilities) and to extend the EMI shielding thereof along a given dimension. Generally, information processing devices include an electrically conductive (metal) chassis, such as chassisor chassis, which houses and supports the components. One function of the chassis is to reduce the electromagnetic interference (EMI) emitted by the device and/or to reduce the EMI admitted into the device from adjacent EMI sources. However, openings in the chassis, such as the openings in bays through which storage drives or other modules are inserted, can provide a route for EMI to exit and enter the device and thus degrade the EMI shielding provided by the chassis. To avoid this issue, removable modules, including OCP modules, generally include EMI shielding features which comprise electrically conductive elements which physically engage and electrically connect with EMI shielding features of adjacent removable modules and/or EMI shielding features of the drive cage, when the module is installed. Thus, when OCP storage controller moduleis installed in a drive cage, such as shown in, OCP storage controller moduleis protected from EMI effects on the components included as part of OCP storage controller module. EMI shieldis shown as fingers but examples are not so limited. In some examples, front plateand the EMI shieldthereof are configured in accordance with specifications of an OCP form factor, and thus may not fill the opening of the OCP bay, which is not natively designed to receive OCP modules. Thus, in some examples, adaptermay include feature to extend the shielding of the EMI shieldto fill the opening of bay.

An energy storage devicemay be coupled to the PCB. As discussed with respect to, energy storage devicemay be removably mounted to PCB. This may allow for easy repair or replacement of the energy storage devicewithout necessarily having to discard or replace the entire module. This may also allow a user to upgrade the moduleafter manufacture by replacing their current version of energy storage devicewith another version of energy storage devicewhich may have additional capabilities or capacity. In some examples, the energy storage devicemay be coupled to the PCBby fasteners. Fastenersmay be screws, pins, or any other removable fastener. As discussed with respect to, energy storage devicemay include a housing. The housingmay include openings for fasteners, and fastenersmay be received at a corresponding hole or receptacle formed within PCB, such that energy storage deviceis securely coupled to PCByet is still able to be removed and placed in an alternate location if needed. Housingmay include a baseand a coverthat covers at least a portion of the base. In some examples, covermay cover portions of components of energy storage device. In particular, in the illustrated example, the baseand coverjoin together to form a semi-enclosed compartmentin which the mezzanine cardis disposed. Covermay include a windowwhich provides an opening into the compartmentwhich may allow for airflow to cool the mezzanine cardand may also allow for access to the mezzanine cardfor test equipment without necessarily requiring opening of the cover. Covermay also substantially cover the battery connectors, thus protecting users from inadvertent contact with these charged conductors. Covermay also extend partially over and contact the batteries, thus helping to physically secure the batteriesin the housing. However, in some examples, housingdoes not fully cover the batteries, thus allowing for a user to remove or install batterieswithout necessarily having to remove the cover

An example of an energy storage deviceis shown in. Energy storage devicemay be an example of energy storage devicediscussed with respect to. As described with respect to, energy storage devicemay include a housinginto which one or more batteriesmay be received. While two batteries-and-are shown in, examples are not so limited and other numbers of batteriesmay be used. In addition, while batteriesare cylindrical in shape, other shapes or forms of battery may be used.

Mezzanine boardfurther includes a connectordisposed on a lower portion thereof. A bottom faceof housingincludes an openingwhich provides access to the connector. Connectorcouples with a power connectorof the PCBof the OCP storage controller moduleto provide electrical connection between the energy storage deviceand the storage controller circuitry. Thus, when connectoris coupled to the PCBat the power connector, the components of the energy storage deviceare electorally coupled with the other components of the OCP storage controller module.

shows an example methodfor installing and using a front mounted OCP storage controller module consistent with the present disclosure. At, methodincludes inserting an assembly into a front bay of a front drive cage. The assembly may include an OCP storage controller module, such as OCP storage controller moduleand/or OCP storage controller module, and an adapter.

At, methodmay include aligning the assembly relative to the front bay. More particularly, the assembly may be aligned by engaging the adapter with the engagement features of the bay, as discussed with respect to. Because the adapter portion of the assembly includes first engagement features (which couple to the OCP storage controller module) and second engagement features, engaging the adapter with the engagement features of the bay may comprise engaging the second engagement features of the adapter with engagement features of the bay.

At, methodmay include electrically connecting the storage controller circuitry to a primary system board of a server. More particularly, the storage controller circuitry may be included on a PCB of OCP storage controller module, as shown and discussed with respect to. The PCB includes an OCP edge connector which is designed to mate with a corresponding OCP socket connector disposed in the front bay, as discussed with respect toand. In some examples, the OCP socket connector is coupled to the primary system board by a cable, although examples are not so limited. Once the OCP edge connector and the OCP socket connector are mated, the OCP socket connector is electrically connected with the primary circuit board.

In some examples, prior to inserting the assembly into a front bay of a front drive cage, a battery may be installed in a housing of the energy storage device. As shown in, a battery may be electrically connected to storage controller circuitry and, more particularly, may be electrically connected to storage controller circuitry through electrical connection of the battery to a mezzanine board. As described with respect to, the mezzanine board includes a connector which mates with a power connector of the PCB. The power connector is in turn electrically connected with the storage controller circuitry such that, when the connector of the mezzanine board is mated with the power connector, the storage controller circuitry provides electrical power to the energy storage device.

It is to be understood that both the general description and the detailed description provide example implementations that are explanatory in nature and are intended to provide an understanding of the present disclosure without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Other examples in accordance with the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on consideration of the disclosure herein. For example, various mechanical, compositional, structural, electronic, and operational changes may be made to the disclosed examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure, including for example the addition, removal, alteration, substitution, or rearrangement of elements of the disclosed examples, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art in consideration of the present disclosure. Moreover, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain features or aspects of the present teachings may be utilized independently (even if they are disclosed together in some examples) or may be utilized together (even if disclosed in separate examples), whenever practical. In some instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown or described in detail in order not to obscure the examples. Thus, the following claims are intended to be given their fullest breadth, including equivalents, under the applicable law, without being limited to the examples disclosed herein.

References herein to examples, implementations, or other similar references should be understood as referring to prophetic or hypothetical examples, rather than to devices/systems that have been actually produced, unless explicitly indicated otherwise. Similarly, references to qualities or characteristics of examples should be understood as representing the educated estimates or expectations of the inventors based on their understanding of the relevant principles involved, application of theory and/or modeling, and/or past experiences, rather than as being representations of the actual qualities or characteristics of an actually produced device/system or the empirical results of tests actually carried out, unless explicitly indicated otherwise.

Further, spatial, positional, and relational terminology used herein is chosen to aid the reader in understanding examples of the invention but is not intended to limit the invention to a particular reference frame, orientation, or positional relationship. For example, spatial, positional, and relational terms such as “up”, “down”, “lateral”, “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, “proximal”, “distal”, and the like may be used herein to describe directions or to describe one element's or feature's spatial relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. These spatial terms are used relative to reference frames in the figures and are not limited to a particular reference frame in the real world. Furthermore, if a different reference frame is considered than the one illustrated in the figures, then the spatial terms used herein may need to be interpreted differently in that different reference frame. Moreover, the poses of items illustrated in the figure are chosen for convenience of illustration and description, but in an implementation in practice the items may be posed differently.

In addition, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. Moreover, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, and the like specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups. Components described as coupled may be electronically or mechanically directly coupled, or they may be indirectly coupled via one or more intermediate components, unless specifically noted otherwise.

And/or: Occasionally the phrase “and/or” is used herein in conjunction with a list of items. This phrase means that any combination of items in the list—from a single item to all of the items and any permutation in between—may be included. Thus, for example, “A, B, and/or C” means “one of {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {C, B}, and {A, C, B}”.